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East Alvarado Street sidewalks, Fallbrook Local Park on CDBG funding list

San Diego County’s 2021-2022 Community Development Block Grant plan includes funding for East Alvarado Street sidewalks and for Fallbrook Local Park.

A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote Tuesday, March 16, approved the county’s 2021-2022 annual funding plan for Community Development Block Grants, HOME Investment Partnerships, Emergency Shelter Grant and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS programs. The allocations include $589,632 for the design and construction of the East Alvarado Street sidewalks and $303,632 for the development and construction of Fallbrook Local Park. Both Fallbrook projects have June 30, 2022, completion estimates.

Community Development Block Grant projects are intended to revitalize lower-income communities. The proposals were selected based on criteria which include benefit to lower-income residents, health and safety considerations, the ability to leverage block grant funds into additional revenue and availability of alternate funding sources.

The allocations are based on 2021-2022 entitlement figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides funding for the programs. The annual plan must be submitted to HUD by May 15, and funding from HUD is usually provided in July.

Although the projects will likely be exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review, the federal funding makes them subject to National Environmental Protection Act review which could include a finding of no significant impact. The allocations for the Fallbrook projects include $3,632 to each for environmental review.

The sidewalk project will construct 500 feet of concrete sidewalk along with pedestrian ramps meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards on the south side of East Alvarado Street from 500 feet west of South Brandon Street to South Brandon Street. The census tract has a population of 9,095 and 6,235 of those, or 68.55%, are considered low-income or moderate income.

Fallbrook Local Park is the current name of the future 6.8-acre park on the south side of Fallbrook Street between Morro Road and Golden Road. In August 2020, the Fallbrook Community Planning Group unanimously voted to recommend that the new park be named after Jim Russell, who was a community leader before his death in January 2020, but county board of supervisors’ approval will be necessary for that.

Two options for the park in terms of amenities were presented to the community. Both options include 68 parking spaces, including stalls meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and bicycle parking. Both options will have play areas, a picnic area, a multipurpose field and an open field. A skateboarding facility is also expected to be part of the park.

One of the options includes a dog park while the other version would have exercise stations in that area. The park is in a census tract with 15,100 people including 9,050, or 59.93%, at the low-or-moderate-income level.

A proposal for sidewalks along Reche Road was deemed not to be an eligible project.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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